Hiring in Tech & Transformation: Guide and Trends in 2026

War for Tech & Transformation talent rages on amidst rapid AI uptake

The AI boom has revolutionised Vietnam’s Tech & Transformation hiring market, increasing uptake of generative AI and creating new streams of demand in 2025.

“More than before, we saw a marked growth in hybrid or cross-functional roles,” reports Phuc Pham, Country Manager at Robert Walters Vietnam. “Each role requires a pairing of domain expertise, such as data, ML and product, AI and ethics, or engineering and operations. Otherwise, talent needed to straddle tech and non-tech functions, serving as the interface between both.”

The year also saw entry-level and junior roles come under immense pressure as automation took over simpler tasks often handled by professionals in these positions.

Read on to find out more about the labour market and hiring trends for Vietnam’s Tech & Transformation professionals in 2026.

AI and digital transformation continues to reign

In the year ahead, hiring will continue to centre on AI. Demand for senior software engineers with strong hands-on architecture and coding skills has always been consistently high, but Phuc reveals that those involved with big data or AI projects have a distinct advantage on the market.

Digital transformation will also be a main driver behind hiring in 2026. This is especially so among traditional companies, who are modernising their tech infrastructure and streamlining workflows.

Top roles and skills in demand

The positions that will see the most demand in the 2026 hiring market are AI, ML and data leads, senior AI or cybersecurity engineers and digital transformation managers. 

Vietnam’s accelerated adoption of AI is the main contributor to hiring volumes. As Phuc explains,

A large share of firms are prioritising AI roles because they already use the technology in business operations. Meanwhile, cybersecurity will become more critical as the attack surface broadens with widespread adoption of AI, data, remote and cloud infrastructure.

Employers will also hire with an eye on soft skills like learning agility, demonstrated history of continuous upskilling, stakeholder management, and strong communication to collaborate with others across domains and regions.

Some professionals should consider reviewing their career trajectories in light of potential integration with AI. Mid-level helpdesk and IT support staff are particularly at risk. Within the testing space, manual QA, edge case regression and test writing for standard flows are at risk. Basic and junior software engineering tasks like boilerplate coding, routine maintenance, simple bug fixes and scaffolding could also be taken over by AI. Candidates are advised to think strategically about upskilling as market demands evolve fast.

Speed is of the essence in hiring

More than ever, stability and employer reputation is the key driving force behind career decisions for professionals today. Candidates now ask about a prospective company’s financial health, management transparency and long-term growth prospects in greater detail. A flexible, human-centric work culture forms a huge part of the stability that candidates are looking for, so companies should aim to foster a politics-free environment that allows employees to focus on tasks at hand.

While candidates are less likely to switch jobs for higher pay if an opportunity appears risky, salary is still important. Besides simply offering competitive salary, companies can consider including benefits that would help differentiate their compensation package.

In an ever-evolving industry like the Tech & Transformation space, upskilling and learning matters deeply as professionals face immense pressure to future-proof their careers. Exposure and learning opportunities in AI, automation and other emerging technologies are thus highly appealing for many candidates.

“Most of all, when hiring in this sector, be decisive. Delays often lead to losing out on promising candidates,” asserts Phuc.

Increments vary based on role

While salaries are expected to go up, increments are larger for some roles than others.

Higher impact, specialist roles will command larger increments than general tech roles. For example, roles in AI, data and other niche areas will see increments falling between 15 – 25%. This applies most to mid- and senior-level roles and within domains like fintech and AI.

Find out more 

Request access to our 2026 Salary Survey to benchmark salaries and to find out more about key hiring trends in Vietnam.